The halls of CBS News are buzzing with uncertainty as the network offers a significant buyout to its “Evening News” team.
Staffers were recently informed that they have an “extraordinary chance” to leave the network with generous separation packages—an offer that comes amid sweeping changes under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
The buyout email landed in ununionized employees’ inboxes on Tuesday, just a day after Weiss shared her ambitious vision for CBS News in a townhall meeting, according to the New York Post.
The communication made it clear: if employees weren’t fully on board with the new direction, they had an opportunity to step away with financial support.
A Direct Message from Management
The email stated: “We are offering an extraordinary chance to leave CBS News with an enhanced separation payment.
At yesterday’s All-Hands, Bari charted a course for CBS News that’s very different from the one we’re on now.
The Evening News has a new host and a new directive, and there will be more change coming.
We hope you are excited about this vision, but we understand that some of you may not be, and we want to provide support.”
While it remains unclear exactly how many staffers received this offer, most of the network’s editorial team—including producers—are not covered by union contracts, Variety reports.
Timeline for Decisions
Staff members now have until Monday to express initial interest in the buyout.
CBS will then provide financial terms for consideration, with a firm deadline of February 4 at 8 p.m. to review the offer.
Employees have until February 9 at 8 p.m. to accept the buyout and submit their resignation.
The initiative comes from Kim Harvey, the executive producer of “Evening News.”
Sources tell Variety that Harvey and the program’s new anchor, Tony Dokoupil, reportedly tried to persuade management against making cuts—even as the show struggled in its early days.
A History of Cuts and Cost-Cutting
This isn’t CBS News’ first round of upheaval.
The network had already laid off over 2,000 employees following its acquisition by Paramount Skydance, which sought to reduce costs after taking over from the Redstone family.
Now, as Weiss begins her tenure, the “Evening News” staff is understandably anxious about the future.
One anonymous employee at Tuesday’s townhall meeting told Variety: “Well, at Evening News, people are afraid for their jobs and afraid to even speak for fear of retaliation.
There has been a chilling effect within our newsroom. It feels right now like if we offer feedback, alternatives, or constructive criticism, we are asking for targets on our backs.”
Early Signs of Change in Viewership
Despite internal tensions, executives are cautiously optimistic about Dokoupil’s early performance.
Viewership has increased in the first few weeks, though the overall audience is still lower than last year’s numbers.
Weiss remains determined to expand the network’s reach beyond its current audience.
She told employees: “We’re for the center, the center-right, and the center-left.
The honest truth is right now we are not producing a product that enough people want.
I am here to make CBS News fit for purpose in the 21st century.”
A Straightforward Choice for Staff
Weiss addressed employees who might not align with her vision with blunt clarity: “If that’s not your bag, that’s okay.
It’s a free country, and I completely respect if you decide I’m not the right leader for you or this isn’t the right place at the right time.
There’s just too many exciting things to be spending your career doing.”
Controversies and Criticisms
Weiss’ leadership has faced criticism since she took over in October, with some questioning whether she has a pro-Trump agenda despite her promises of newsroom neutrality.
Tensions heightened when she postponed a “60 Minutes” segment on the Trump administration’s deportation of migrants to a notorious El Salvador prison.
Weiss insists the delay was due to additional reporting needs, not to appease Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, whose father, Larry Ellison, is a known Trump supporter.
Allies in the Newsroom
Despite the turmoil, Weiss has at least one high-profile ally.
Longtime anchor Gayle King praised her vision during the townhall, while criticizing colleagues who leaked details of the new strategy to the press.
King said: “What I like, Bari, about what you outlined is that I don’t know anybody in this room that doesn’t want to make change for the better.
I don’t know anybody that doesn’t want to kick it up a notch.
And I just don’t want any of us to lose sight of who we are and the job that we do here.
I’m so proud to work at this company.”
The coming weeks will reveal how many staffers embrace Weiss’ vision and how many take the buyout, as CBS News embarks on a period of transformation and uncertainty.
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